C&C Marine Nears Completion Of 30-Inch Dredge

C&C Marine and Repair is nearing completion of a 30-inch cutter suction dredge at its Belle Chasse, La., shipyard, continuing the company’s expansion in large dredge construction.

The non-self-propelled dredge measures approximately 360 feet long by 56 feet wide and is designed to work in dredging depths ranging from about 10 feet to 82 feet. It is being built on speculation rather than for a named customer.

The diesel-electric dredge is designed to excavate compacted sand and other soils with a rotating cutterhead and move the resulting slurry through a 30-inch pipeline. Its dredging systems include an underwater dredge pump, an inboard dredge pump, a spud-carriage system and anchor booms that allow the vessel to reposition without assistance from another vessel.

MOTAS Dredging Solutions was selected earlier in the construction program to provide engineering and dredging equipment for the project. The package includes the cutter ladder, anchor booms and a flexible spud-carrier system with hydraulic buffering and a spud-pole tilting device. MOTAS said in July that the vessel was entering final commissioning and is one of two sister dredges included in the program.

C&C Marine’s current specifications also describe a patent-pending interchangeable dredge-head system designed to allow a dredge to switch between cutter suction and dustpan configurations. The cutterhead configuration is intended for harder material such as compacted sediment, clay and rock, while the dustpan arrangement can be used for softer sediment and sand.

The dredge is the latest in a series of large cutter suction dredges built by C&C Marine. Previous projects include the J.S. Chatry for Weeks Marine and the General MacArthur and General Arnold for Callan Marine. The General MacArthur is a 24,000 hp., 290- by 72-foot dredge, while the General Arnold also develops 24,000 hp.

C&C Marine has built dredging and marine construction equipment since the company was established in 1997. In addition to cutter suction dredges, its dredging-related construction has included idler barges, anchor barges, booster barges and multipurpose workboats. The company operates a more than 100-acre facility along the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway in Belle Chasse.

Featured Photo: C&C Marine and Repair is nearing completion of a 30-inch cutter suction dredge at its Belle Chasse, La., shipyard. The spec-built dredge measures approximately 360 feet by 56 feet and can dredge at depths of up to 82 feet. (Photo courtesy of C&C Marine and Repair)